Abandoned Boat Returned to Shore

Eight days after the unknown owner of the sunken boat in Long Point Bay hadn’t attempted any recovery efforts, Long Point resident and owner of The Old Cut Boat Livery decided it was time for a little less talk and a lot more action.

Ray Ferris Sr. quietly located the sunken blue boat and towed it to shallow water where he attempted to turn the vessel upright in an effort to empty her of water and tow her to shore. Unable to flip the boat over himself, Ferris tied it to ‘the Willow tree’ and returned to shore.

Ferris called his life long friends Guy, Terry & Jerry Hazen to assist with the recovery mission. When Guy asked Ray where he towed the boat he said “I tied it to ’The Willow tree’ … a whereabouts and sort of lingo that only locals would identify with.

A crowd sourcing attempt to raise $9,200 to recover the sunken boat was created on GoFundMe.com by an unidentified individual. Ferris and the Hazen brothers don’t expect any compensation or kudos for their efforts.

When suggestions were made that the four men should receive any funds collected from the Go Fund Me page, Ferris said “I’ve been pulling boats out of the bay all my life and I’ve never taken any money for it.”

In keeping with their humble “aw-shucks” personalities, Ferris and the Hazen brothers declined to be interviewed on camera for CTV News.